First look at city centre's 'lush' new food and drink garden

The two developers behind the Kampus neighbourhood development have released a new batch of CGIs of the project, which will feature a 'lush' canal-side garden surrounded by independent cafes, bars and restaurants.

Part of the wider £250 million development of the former Manchester Metropolitan University site on Aytoun Street, the developers say the new 'green hangout space' will form an 'oasis' with 'lush greenery', 'towering trees' and two floors of eating and drinking, as well as a 'salvaged concrete box on stilts' for pop-up events overlooking the Rochdale canal.

Kampus will also feature a new square of shops and cafes off Chorlton Street, as well as the restored cobbles of the once hidden Little David Street

The renovated grade II-listed Minto & Turner and Minshull House buildings will provide a backdrop to the garden, which will sit amongst 533 new apartments, two 'heritage' warehouses and MMU's repurposed '60s brutalist tower.

CGI of the 'lush' new canal-side garden

Capital & Centric co-founder Adam Higgins said: “This year’s blistering summer has highlighted how little green space there is in the city centre where people can enjoy a coffee, beer or bite to eat. Well we’re righting that wrong.

“The garden will be lush and overgrown, with loads of spaces to hang out. We want to create a really laid-back space for Manchester that embraces that European culture that the Gay Village has historically nailed.

“It’ll be a real draw for the existing community, as well as a space on the doorstep for those that’ll call Kampus home.”

Little David Street will also be restored

The Kampus development will also feature a new square of shops and cafes off Chorlton Street, as well as the restored cobbles of the once hidden Little David Street, which will be reborn as a shop-lined alley with outdoor seating.

“Our site is almost a little forgotten part of the city," Higgins added. "It’s so central to the city, right on the doorstep of Piccadilly and The Gay Village, but it’s been sat empty for years. By including heaps of communal space and greenery, we want to create a really exciting neighbourhood that captures peoples’ curiosity and draws them in.